A brilliant follow up to the first book, I laughed and I cried reading this final book in the duology. Davi and Tsav for life <3

Django Wexler returns with Dark Lord Davi's signature brand of snark, but there was just something missing from this book that I can't quite put my finger on. It was still an enjoyable read, but I felt like the ending was a bit rushed and I didn't find the answers we were given very satisfying. Don't regret reading it, though, and it was a fun, very un-serious romp through a chaotic little world.

Davi is everything to everybody. These books are comedy, fantasy, captivating, and I hope this isn't the end.
I read the first book after getting approved for the second, and I found myself pulled from the first page. There is definitely world building in the sense that you need to follow closely to get the culture of the world Davi finds herself in, but it's not too convoluted that it takes from the humor of the situation.
I appreciate the satire, the sarcasm, and the adult humor in these books. Django writes a woman's world with a sense of female empowerment. I can see why some would think it to be over sexualizing of women, but I think there's freedom in there being no shame in a healthy sex life (and let me tell you Davi has one!).
In short, Davi trains to become the Dark Lord with the help of the wildings, but for the first time in her life, she doesn't want to die (even though she could technically come back), because she has people she loves. There's a commentary on social class and learned behaviors, but it's all wrapped in a humorous, sticky blanket, and that, I think is genius.

The sarcastic, horny and warm Davi, Dark Lord, is back, and trying to find a way to do something no Dark Lord and no human has ever done before: establish peace between the Wilders and the Kingdom.

I loved book one, and loved this one, too. The irreverent tone, footnotes, profanity, sex, and poking at fantasy tropes are back, but this time, the stakes are higher, and something I really appreciated in this entry is Davi is called out on her crap, and in a way that really affects her and cause her to grow. And, we also get some answers about the whole time loop thing.

But before all that, Davi travels with Tsav to the Kingdom, leaving Mari in charge of the horde, and a purple piece of thaumite that Davi knows she can use to communicate with the Fox Wilder, despite the big distance between them. Davi's plan is to meet up with Prince Johann who's been her boyfriend countless times, manipulate him into peaceful negotiations with the Dark Lord, and then peace and happiness can reign throughout the land.

Of course things aren't so easy, and in fact, Davi notices a number of startling changes to the Kingdom, which no doubt occurred because of her unusual choice at the start of book one. This necessitates a number of changes to her plan, and also serves to open Tsav's eyes to what humans can be like (yay Matthias!)

The Wilders we met and grew to love in book one are back, but things aren't going so well within the horde, with strident anti-human sentiment coming to the fore, further complicating Davi's plan. And there are humans seriously opposed to Wilders, unsurprisingly, but Davi is nothing if not resourceful, and fast-thinking. And, having to finally make choices that take into account that she can't just rely on things getting reset. This adds depth to this entry and makes it a little more serious than book one, as well as causing her to examine her relationship with Tsav, and several within the horde.

Though the story starts out a little more slowly than I expected, the pacing picked up and then moved well for its remainder to the problems, revelations and resolutions. I thoroughly enjoyed this last book in this series, and felt a little sad saying goodbye to Davi, Tsav, Mari and Droff.

Thank you to Netgalley and to Orbit Books for this ARC in exchange for my review.

Having loved the first book in this series, I was super excited to read "Everybody Wants to Rule the World Except Me". I loved the slapstick humor and heart of the first installment and was glad to see both of these elements in the second book. While "Everybody Wants to Rule the World Except Me" didn't keep me hooked the same was as "How to Rule the World and Die Trying", I enjoyed it nonetheless.

One of my favorite parts of this book was how Wexler expanded on the world he created in the first book. I loved getting to learn more about the human side of things and there were some excellent character additions. With that said, I think this came at the expense of not seeing much of several characters from the first book.

The ending of the first book makes it seem like this book is going to be about Davi navigating the pitfalls and politics of being the Dark Lord, which wasn't really the case. However, I ultimately really liked where the story went. One really fun element of the first book was the time loop mechanic. While I understand why this can't be used in the same way throughout the entire series (it literally erases character development), I wouldn't have minded playing with it a little bit more.

3 stars

Thank you NetGalley and Orbit for the eARC. All opinions are my own.

I loved this second installment of Davi's rise to power as the Dark Lord. Her introspection at going back to the kingdom and her vulnerability with Tsav particularly hit home for me. After centuries she finally has to remember what it means to live like a mortal and not just plow through with her plan heedless of anyone else. Particularly her ex-himbo prince, Johann. I can definitely picture him in my head and what he must look and act like.

In EVERYBODY WANTS TO RULE THE WORLD EXCEPT ME, Davi is now the Dark Lord. However, she neither wants the Wilders to kill the humans nor the humans to kill the Wilders. So she embarks on a plan to bring her past-lives Himbo Boyfriend Johann into the fold to head off a genocidal war. But of course things don't go quite to plan and Davi must adjust on the fly and play each side to avoid all out destruction. And, along the way, hopefully figure out why she remains stuck in a time loop.

I enjoyed this final installment of the duology more than the first. Davi's trademark dark humor remains and so do her horndog tendencies. But there is a reduction in her footnote quips, much to my pleasure. Her flippancy also has a slightly subdued quality, which may have to do with the seriousness of the potential outbreak of war.

However, I think what truly makes me like this book more is Davi's emotional growth. It's not easy being stuck in a time loop. That caused Davi to become detached and fairly callous such that she saw people as tools, a means to an end, whether sexually or otherwise. But her relationship with Tsav causes her to grow when some of her actions make Tsav upset, or when Tsav pushes her to think about how her actions affect others. This allows for more emotional connection to Davi as a character. And it lends more depth to the story.

I also found the plot more engaging. Instead of questing for minions, Davi is trying to prevent a war and, if she's lucky, learn more about the time loop situation. There's more scheming, plotting, and action, which naturally provides for a livelier read. The revelation at the end of the book also hints, if one wants to dig deeper, at the debate of invasive species. That is, does one let them thive or root them out if they continue to cause harm? This is obviously a bit cryptic, but makes sense when one reaches that point of the plot.

Despite having some reservations about the first book, I'm glad I read EVERYBODY WANTS TO RULE THE WORLD EXCEPT ME. This is a raunchy, fun, somewhat random duology that doesn't take itself too seriously. It has some moments of reflection before jumping right back into sarcasm and action. Check it out if you're looking for something a little different in the fantasy genre.

Django Wexler has just secured a spot as one of my favorite authors. The humor in this is just perfection for me. I didn't want to let go of Davi. I love how this wasn't just the same as the first book with Davi just dying and repeating everything again. The plot kept me reading and I was never bored. And I love Tsar so much. I honestly wouldn't be upset if Wexler wrote more in this world from other characters.

I finished the Dark Lord Davi duology today and it was seriously silly. I like a book (and main character) that doesn't take itself too seriously, while still being really likeable. The found family in book 2 builds on Davi's character development from book 1 and overall, I just really thought this was a fun read! Thank you to Orbit and Netgalley for the ARC of book 2! #DarkLordDavi #Orbitbooks #Duology #diangowexler #fantasybook #unhingedreads

Can I just say I loved this book enormously and what an excellent conclusion to Davi's story? After her path to become the Dark Lord in book 1, now she's hard at work to prevent a war with the Kingdom - which will involve re-connecting with a former flame - and somehow everything keeps getting more complicated, leading her to the conclusion that if there's a Chosen One, someone must be doing the choosing. Davi's sardonic narration remains true, even as her heart wakes up more and she recognizes the trauma of dying over and over for hundreds of years. Fast-paced and full of intrigue, this book is a deeply satisfying blast.

This was a great sequel and great end to the duology (or at least I thinks it’s the end - I wouldn’t say no to more adventures with Davi).
I laughed out loud so many times while reading this story and recommended it to all my most unhinged friends while i was making my way through it. This book falls under a style that I am quickly becoming a fan of and just want to drown in. I want more books like this - funny and ridiculous, while also containing a breadth of world building and complex character development. While Davi appears at first glance to not give a hoot about anything, she grows significantly from them beginning of book one through to the end of book two. This book also has one of the coolest settings (world) that I have some across. I want more!
I recommend this book to anyone looking for something different and looking to escape into a world that is wholly unique. I am looking forward to more books by this author.
Many thanks to Orbit Books and NetGalley for an early digital copy of the book. The opinions expressed are honest and my own, as well as freely given.

Davi has done it, she is the new Dark Lord. Next step, destroy all the humans, except she doesn’t want to. Her plan now is to try to broker peace between the humans and the wilders in an attempt to break her 1000 year time loop. So she leaves her horde behind and goes to meet up with her sometimes beau Prince Johann. But in this timeline he is already married and has let the bloodthirsty Duke Aster take control of the government. And Johann's husband may just be the key to helping her find the truth behind her curse. So Davi definitely has her work cut out for her.

This was a fun read and very entertaining way to end the duology. I found Davi a lot more endearing in this book. Whilst still sex-craved, she was definitely a lot more conscientious of her actions and the impacts they had on those around her. And watching her struggle with her old ways of using people and trying to be better made her so much of a better character. The impact Tsav had on her was sweet as well. This book was a lot more serious than the first but still had its humour. Also, on a side note, I was glad I was right about Atraxes. Dude was just too suspicious. All in all I enjoyed this book, was a good humour break from everything else I was reading.

Rating 3.5 stars
*I received a review copy from NetGalley for my voluntary and honest review

📖 Bookish Thoughts
This was such a satisfying conclusion to the Dark Lord Davi duology. Davi is absolutely UNHINGED and the definition of chaos, and obviously I was obsessed with her. The writing was top tier. The banter was witty and hilarious! The worldbuilding was immersive without being overwhelming. And the book starts with a recap chapter and I am officially petitioning for more books to do this. 👏🏽👏🏽

Davi's internal monologues and out loud nonsense had me cackling more than once. I can't say I always understood her train of thoughts, but she always gets the job done. 🤣
Her being queer made me love her even more! I really enjoyed the romantic subplot. It wasn't distracting from the story and actually added to her character growth. Tsav (her hottie orc girlfriend) was probably the only one who could keep up with Davi and push her when needed. I adored them together!

The adventure (or misadventure) was action-packed up until about 60% in, then things slowed down quite a bit. It didn't completely pull me out of the story, but I did start to wonder where things were going. That said, it picked back up around the 75% mark and wrapped up so nicely! The ending and epilogue were everything I wanted. I loved that not everything was magically fixed. Davi had to learn how to grieve, how to sit with loss, and how to carry it forward. She came out changed and will live happily ever after with Tsav at their lake. 😍

💛What You Can Expect:
• Unhinged FMC
• Queer Rep
• Orc x human romance
• Found family feels
• Fantasy quest

📖 Final Score: 4.5 ⭐
📅 Pub Date: May 27, 2025
Thank you to Orbit Books and NetGalley for the advanced copy. All thoughts are my own.

Not long after the events of How to Become the Dark Lord and Die Trying, Everybody Wants to Rule the World Except Me. I mean Davi. Davi doesn’t want to rule the world, and she’s trying so hard to broker peace between the humans and the wilders, all while solving the mystery of how she slipped from Earth to this crazy world where she keeps dying and coming back and it’s been literally centuries of this. Meanwhile, everyone does seem to want to rule the world, like Duke Astor and Sibarae, who are human and wilder, respectively. With the same humor, but not quite as sex-crazed protagonist because really important and serious things are happening here, Everybody Wants to Rule the World Except Me neatly ties up the duology.

After being crowned Dark Lord and learning the wilders are hell bent on destroying the humans, Davi and her right hand orc and romantic partner Tsav head into the human kingdom to do some surveying, but mostly to try to work on the human side to generate peace between the two sides. But things aren’t quite as they once were. For one, Prince Johann, who spent hundreds of years being Davi’s romantic partner/sex partner/spouse, is married to Matthias, cousin to Duke Astor, who now handles all the ruling things Johann doesn’t want to do. With Davi certain that, if she dies again, she’ll reset to a point she really doesn’t want to have to be at, she and Tsav have to work very carefully. So she pretends to be wizard Tserigern’s apprentice, arriving to discuss prophecy and how it’s changed. But the humans and wilders have been set on the course: destroy each other in order to come out on top. And Davi’s pretty certain someone’s trying to kick her Dark Lord crown off. Not to mention something’s scratching at her mind and it must be all tied into how she got to this world in the first place.

While the humor here is really fun and works really well with Davi and her many lives’ experiences, the story had many slow moving parts that sometimes turned what should have been a fun, adventurous story into a bit of a slog. There were points where it felt like it was taking far too long, and other points where I was impatiently waiting for something interesting to happen. Of course, things do happen, and they’re fun with all their adventure and plotting and learning new things, but, other than some big plot points that just seemed like one disaster after another for Davi and her friends to deal with, everything that bridged them together felt slow, almost meandering.

Fortunately, Davi has such a fun voice, even as I wondered just how many sex-crazed girls like Davi I’ve ever met. I’m sure they’re out there, but this was just a little too over the top for me. It was nice, though, that the focus pivoted a bit more towards her relationship with Tsav than her interest in sleeping with whoever moved. They were delightful, even when Tsav was sad over the things Davi was doing and how Davi was treating everyone. I did really love their heart to hearts, and it was lovely to see Davi grow. She and Tsav were really meant for each other, just like Johann and Matthias. I really loved how these two relationships are more established and they’re already in love. This just showcased how messy relationships can be, and just how well certain people/wilders can fit together, which is a great way of also showing how humans and wilders can coexist and even love each other.

Of course, there’s some shadowy figure jerking the strings, and the wilders and humans, around in order to get what they want, which seems to be the destruction of all humans. This mystery of who that is was the really fun part for me. As much as I enjoyed watching Davi gather her horde and maneuver around everyone to place them just where she wanted them to be, I really liked Davi in research and figuring things out mode, especially since this is the second book in the duology and there are so many questions she, and the reader, have. I liked how it linked up with the other big story of the wilders and humans basically going to war with each other, even if some of the things Davi went through in previous lives was essentially quite horrifying. It was really nice to see her circle of friends widen and get on board with her, and I loved seeing this mixed group work together.

And as Davi starts to piece things together, reluctantly go on wilder hunts, and engage in battle, the world opens up. The history of this world and how humans got there in the first place is neatly dropped in, and I really loved how the mythology of both humans and wilders just slotted into each other and the story. The world, too, opens, in theory. The characters do travel around to a number of places in the human kingdom, whereas the first book focused on the wilders’ lands, but I found it difficult to see anything other than a stereotypical fantasy world. There are trees, villages, towns, a big city, and lots and lots of open space, or so it felt like. I would have loved more variety and more time spent really turning this landscape into a three dimensional space, but the main focus was on the story, which was kind of wild and adventurous interspersed with maybe a little too much down time.

Everybody Wants to Rule the World Except Me is a fantastic end to the duology. It very neatly explained everything and tied it all up with a bow. Davi has a fantastic voice, if a bit sex-obsessed, and there were a number of cool, fun, and fascinating things she and her friends got to do. While the story could get a little slow at times, it is full of adventure, battles, and friendship and love, and really showed how two very different groups of creatures could live in harmony.

Thank you to NetGalley and the publisher for a review copy. All opinions expressed are my own.

Good news: Davi’s succeeded in her mission to become the Dark Lord! Bad news: the army under her control expects her to lead them on a glorious mission to eradicate all humans. Having been trapped in a time loop in this fantasy world for centuries (a loop that resets upon her death), Davi knows how poorly a wilder/human war will go for the humans. Even more scary, Davi isn’t quite sure how well the time loop is working given recent events. She can’t just endlessly try different solutions to fix the problem because this time, her decisions might be permanent. It’s time for one last Hail Mary gambit: peace talks between the Dark Lord and the human kingdom.

Everybody Wants to Rule the World Except Me is a solid conclusion to this comedy fantasy duology, even if it is able to have a little less fun with the premise this time around. (If you haven’t read book one, spoilers ahead, proceed at your own risk!) One of the fun things about How to Become the Dark Lord and Die Trying was that Davi essentially got to treat the world like a video game. She tries something, it fails, she dies spectacularly, she tries again until she’s found a way to master a scenario. With the time loop now in question, Davi now has to treat the world very, very carefully. In short, this adventure becomes much more of a straightforward fantasy adventure with no do-overs.

On the one hand, this pushes Davi into some more character growth. After all, she’s become callous and casual with playing with people’s lives because for her, there are no repercussions. If she kills or betrays someone, they’ll come back the next loop without any harm or memory of what happens. She doesn’t get that out this time. It’s a fact she forgets at first, but leads to her rediscovering her empathy - along with an existential crisis over the fact that the fate of the world is on her shoulders and she doesn’t have a safety net anymore.

Even without the time loop elements, this still manages overall to be a fun and funny story. Davi’s fourth-wall breaking quips return, and she has to go on some wild adventures in her quest for peace. That includes finding out once and for all why this time loop is happening to her in the first place. This finale does a solid job of providing that answer, keeping things relatively simple in both explanation and solution.

Unfortunately, what also returns is Davi’s rampant horniness. It feels like Davi can't interact with a single character without commenting on their attractiveness or impressive physical endowments. It quickly became grating to keep sitting through this objectification. Just because the comments come from a bisexual woman doesn’t make it more palatable.

Setting that aside, Everybody Wants to Rule the World Except Me manages to be a fun summer fluff read. It does manage to be genuinely funny and to make you care about Davi, her annoying habits aside. If you need a breezy break from more serious affairs, give the Dark Lord Davi duology a try.

I could not have been more excited for Everybody Wants to Rule the World Except Me, and it did not disappoint. As the sequel to last year’s How to Become the Dark Lord and Die Trying, it adds so much to the existing world and the lore built up around the protagonist. We get to see the human side of things and all of its glorious messes, from stumbling characters to dark secrets and battles galore. I couldn’t put it down and it was gripping until the very last page. I can honestly say it’s the only time I’ve gasped out loud five pages before the end.

The Best Bits
The happiest husbands Johann and Matthias’
The backstory
Intricate battle strategies
The only dragon I’ve ever not wanted to see in person

Enter the Humans
We spent book one staying away from the humans as Davi dove into the world of the Wilders and built up the horde we know and love. Now, she’s tromping through the human world and trying to change things in this go around. We didn’t get to see her prior time among the humans, so it’s still fresh and new even though she’s spent hundreds of years among them. We get to hear how everything has changed now that she’s been absent for six months of storyline. We get to see the utter nonsense of a ruling class who fights to fight and who hoards wealth for themselves. Above all, we get to finally meet Johann, who became a personal favorite character of mine. All in all, humanity was a messy and solid addition to the journey.

Constant Betrayals, Regroups and Strategy Shifts
The first book had its share of betrayals and surprises, and the sequel goes a step further. You’re constantly getting whiplash as alliances shift, people appear out of nowhere, and things that seemed okay are suddenly going horribly wrong. Between Wilder betrayals and human betrayals, there’s a lot to process and Davi and her companions navigate it relatively well. I enjoyed the strategy playing out in real time. The author does a great job with writing battles, which can be a slog in my experience. He illustrated the magic system very well, making it easy to imagine every encounter. Honestly, the final quarter of the book is one big ‘omigod how did I now see that coming’ and I loved it.

The Insane Secrets
I can’t spoil anything, but the secrets sprinkled throughout were complete with hidden rooms, workshops, and histories that fix a lot of the little things that didn’t make sense. The reveals were perfectly timed and everything played out better than I could have imagined.

A Fitting End to Davi’s Story
All in all, this was a great addition to the story. In the first book, we got to see Davi grow into a leader, dealing with the responsibility of having companions who count on her in a timeline she can’t reset. The sequel expands upon that, eventually leaving the fate of the entire world in her hands. It’s an exciting mix of research, intrigue, history, social alliances, magic, and creatures that makes for the perfect fantasy novel.

Alright, swings and roundabouts on this duology.

The pros: goofy, doesn't take itself seriously, doesn't rely on pop culture references, satisfying story conclusion, surprising character growth.

The cons: omg he actually had a "breasted boobily" moment but unironically???? why is the FMC just a terrible, horny, 13 year old boy??

"It’s a ramshackle two-story thing with a big common room on the ground floor and rooms for rent up top, run by an older woman with wild red hair and enormous tits. I think I’ve been here once in a previous life, but apart from the innkeep’s bazongas, it didn’t make much of an impression."

"The innkeeper boobs her way over and serves beer and stew, attracting admiring
gazes." [emphasis mine]


I'm sure I'm missing a few euphemisms, but here's a round-up
breast: 3
boob: 8
bazongas: 1
titties (footnote): 1
titties (A-grade): 1
chest (sexual): 2

The second novel in the Dark Lord duology by Django Wexler (Ashes of the Sun) brings the battle between humans and wilders to a thrilling end. The hilarity and obscenity from the first volume (How to Become the Dark Lord and Die Trying) continue in Everybody Wants to Rule the World Except Me, in which plot twists, double crosses, and near-death experiences abound.

Davi, the new Dark Lord, is tasked with leading a horde of wilders (nonhuman beings whom humans love to slaughter) to attack the Kingdom. In Davi's past thousand years of living, dying, and doing it all over again, she's always helped the Kingdom defend itself against the wilders and watched it fall every time. Now she's on the other side, but she still doesn't want to see the Kingdom destroyed. She's also discovered that she might not start all over again if she dies this time. The stakes for her own life are higher, and all the people she's led to their deaths in this iteration might actually stay dead. Accompanied by Tsav, her "sexy bald orc lady" girlfriend and captain of the horde, Davi heads to the Kingdom, where she discovers secrets about her situation beyond what she ever imagined.

As wild and unpredictable as the duology's first entry, this novel is also more desperate as Davi grapples with the idea of not getting another do-over. Wexler takes readers on a fantastic ride through thought experiments and intimate emotions in scenes that burst with action and excitement, culminating in a deeply satisfying conclusion.

This one picks up right where the Dark Lord leaves off with Davi being named the dark lord and instead of planning to lead an attack on the kingdom opting to find a way forward with peace.

Of course this leads to infighting, double crossing, and skirmishes.

Along the way Davi also discovers some hidden secrets that have lead to her timeloop.

The weird brand of humor is still there and I'm glad as it's something I enjoyed. Now unfortunately so are the weird sexual moments, again, you can tell a dude wrote this.

Overall I had a good time reading this, but I know it's not going to be for everyone.

Humans suck, am I right?


Last we heard of our favorite fem-fatale she had been crowned Dark Lord. With the main quest being the death and destruction of all humanity.

Damn, that’s quite a cliff hanger. Davi isn’t too keen on mass murder.

Throw in betrayals, grief, poop jokes, and all the 4th wall breaks you desire in one novel & VOILA! A sequel! I absolutely loved our horde members, and treasured all the hilarity & banter between. Davi is certainly one of the most unique characters I’ve read, and getting to know her more in this book was just so satisfying. Her character development was incredibly heartwarming to see from the beginning stages of manipulation for power to complete trust & love for those she’s grown to love.



I had some hesitation when I got closer to our “climax”, and the some of the filling felt unnecessary, and just a little too long. Was there more than one call back? I won’t spoil. But I laughed out loud nonetheless.


Thank you so much Orbit US & Netgalley to give me the great opportunity to read one of my most anticipated novels this year.